The comprehensive programming at Dawns Place supports individuals by addressing their complex needs including trauma services, substance use disorders, legal and educational concerns and more. EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA At least It may cause some to realize what some in their own circle have been hiding from them, often suffering in silence or shame. It also alleges that Smith operated a sex trafficking enterprise at various times over a period of two years from July 2015 to July 2017, during which he used physical threats to force three different young adult victims to have sex for money. Consequently, in order to rescue human trafficking victims, one must know how to identify them, the warning signs, and how to help them. As many are gathering in front of large flat screen televisions during Super Bowl Sunday surrounded by trays of hors doeuvres, party platters and beer, an underground network will also be working hard. WebAddress: 300 E. Hunting Park Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19124 Phone: 215-387-9500 Legal and Immigration Services, Trainings and Advocacy Justice At Work Justice At Work Andre Michael Felts, aka Dre and Plug, 32, and Kevin Michael Francis, aka Kev, 60, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to sex traffic a minor and four counts of sex trafficking a minor. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS PHILADELPHIA United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that three men, Andre Michael Felts, 32, Kevin Michael Francis, 60, and Ryan Keel, 39, all of Philadelphia, PA, were charged by Indictment for their roles in a sex trafficking operation that exploited numerous minor children from 2016 through 2017. In addition, PCA works closely with DHS to provide comprehensive assessments of children referred to DHS who are screened for concerns of being exploited. All three defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to sex traffic a minor, while Felts and Francis were also each charged with four counts of sex trafficking a minor. Its not just that women have lowered their standards, but that men are the one who see women as lower, too.. Lock He also kept the victims in apartments throughout Philadelphia, known as trap houses, where they were made to engage in commercial sex for the benefit of the defendant. The church has a ministry that addresses trafficking in the Philadelphia area. Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street Its a hard statistic, but 1 in 6 children reported missing in the U.S. are likely victims of child sex trafficking, one of Trained Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates and supervisory staff provide assistance to victims in crisis through safety planning, emotional support and/or immediate connections to emergency services through our network of trained service provider and law enforcement partners. Phone: 215-832-0900. Finally, what is the paradigm shift that must occur in society to finally obliterate human trafficking? Hebrew International Aid Society The charges against the defendant stem from his operation of a sex trafficking ring in Philadelphia and the surrounding regionincluding Bucks and Delaware counties. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for Community Engagement, Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 45 Years for Sex Trafficking Children in Northeast Philadelphia, Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Two Teenage Girls, Fourth and Final Co-Defendant in Brutal West Philly Sex Trafficking Case Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison, Four Members and Associates of Reading Boarding House Sex Trafficking Gang The Sevens Convicted After Six-Week Trial in Allentown, Philadelphia Man Sentenced To 45 Years For Sex Trafficking Children In Northeast Philadelphia. During the week-long trial, the government proved that the defendant organized, operated and led a sex trafficking venture based in and around Northeast Philadelphia between 2013 and 2015, and in 2018. A lock ( Common examples of identified child trafficking cases include: Commercial sex Stripping Pornography Forced begging Magazine crews Au pairs or nannies Restaurant work Hair and nail salons Agricultural work Drug sales and cultivation 2023 Cable News Network. Rich Walls of North Philadelphia learned much from an all-male workshop held at Enon last year. According to publicly filed court documents, Adams, whose self-professed nickname was Captain Save-A-Hoe, along with co-defendants Hampton-Devero and Kendall, trafficked two minors during approximately three weeks in January of 2020 from multiple locations in Philadelphia. We will continue to work collectively with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes against vulnerable children.. The fraud is they are selling love, said Hugh Organ, associate director of the Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition. The FBI will never stop working to find and help trafficked victims, to protect them from further abuse and keep their traffickers from hurting anyone else.. Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment on Count One, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment on Count Two, a $500,000 fine, a lifetime period of supervised release and a $200 special assessment. At least four of the recovered children were connected to child sex trafficking, the marshals service said on Thursday. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. WebCSEC or Child Sex Trafficking Sex trafficking affects children, too. WebPhiladelphia Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking A Child. appreciated. Email Smith lived with several of the females who were working for him. We ask anyone with knowledge of child or adult sex trafficking to let us know about it, so we can help. EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA Secure .gov websites use HTTPS ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Free counseling and trauma therapy services offered include individual and group sessions. It will also educate parents and family members to notice the warning signs of children and adolescents who may be involved in the life, as many call it. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Michel J. Driscoll of the FBIs Philadelphia Field Division made the announcement. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2013. In a separate Indictment, Ossai is charged with the sex trafficking of a minor in late January 2020. Text the letters "Befree" or the numbers 233733 to reach the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Dawns Place offers a year-long residential program to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation or sex trafficking. A locked padlock Main Office: According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Smith operated a prostitution business in Philadelphia between April 1, 2009 and June 30, 2011. EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA The children involved are considered some of the most at-risk and challenging cases in the Philadelphia area, the marshals service said, based on high-risk factors including child sex trafficking and exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. It is going take the men taking control to reverse this. Fax Line:(215) 861-8618. Also according to court documents, Adams and Kendall each coerced the minors into having sex with them on multiple occasions, and Hampton-Devero instructed one of the minor victims to record commercial sex acts on her cell phone for Devero to post online to attract more sex buyers. 33 missing children found in anti-human trafficking operation in Southern California. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. Leah Fletcher, Account Executive. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a nationalanti-trafficking hotline and resource center serving victims and survivors of human trafficking and the anti-trafficking community in the United States. Working alongside the international community, we have seen significant increases in trafficking prosecution and conviction, and we have made great strides in supporting victims.. As part of the scheme, the defendant recruited, enticed and maintained three minor children, one of whom was as young as 13 years old, to engage in commercial sexual encounters. Felts was detained pending trial this afternoon, joining his co-defendants, who are also in federal custody. WebHuman Trafficking | Philadelphia | Battle4Children Charities You're not a victim for sharing your story. To view tips on identifying sex and labor trafficking red flags, please see the Red Flags Infographic. WebIn January 2020, we convened the Philadelphia Juvenile Anti-Trafficking Coalition, gathering 50+ public and private agencies to collaborate on identifying gaps in services for trafficked hangs in the Flag Room at the bureau's headquarters in Washington. A Northeast Philadelphia hotel owner was ordered to pay $24 million to eight sex trafficking victims. We get calls from as far away as Pittsburgh where girls have been taken. Philadelphia, PA 19106, JENNIFER CRANDALL After a few days they are trafficking them. Readers will enter into an uncomfortable world that will challenge their sensibilities, sense of safety, and stereotypical notions about the topic. A Philadelphia man is accused of trafficking four victims, one of whom was a minor, in Bucks County and surrounding areas, according to federal authorities. 3. Philadelphia, PA 19106, Telephone:(215) 861-8200 Justice At Work specializes in providing free legal representation to victims of labor trafficking as well as other communities of workers. You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth and you never know He even transported them to other cities and states, determined to keep the money coming in at their expense. Further, Keel and Felts allegedly had explicit discussions via Facebook Messenger about the commercial sex acts occurring at the residences. Children cannot sell sex even in places where prostitution is legal. I am gratified that the defendants are all now off the streets and in custody pending trial on these charges, said U.S. Attorney McSwain. Media Contact Philadelphia, PA 19106, JENNIFER CRANDALL Have a question about Government Services? The indictment alleges that Felts ran a prostitution ring that recruited and enticed young females, including minors, to engage in commercial sex acts; harbored the victims at various residences for that purpose; transported and provided the victims to males who purchased the commercial sex acts; and collected a portion of the proceeds. is beginning a series about human trafficking. They will be trafficking women and young girls on major highways and airports, arranging for sexual rendezvous in Center City hotel rooms or unmarked vans on a tree-lined residential street. WebAn FBI operation focused on combatting child sex trafficking around the world resulted in the arrests of 15 suspected pimps and associates in the Philadelphia region, authorities For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. If you have not done so already, follow @USAO_EDPA and @USAttyWilliams on Twitter to get the most up-to-date information about big cases and community news. Ryan Keel, 39, was charged with conspiracy to sex traffic a minor. The Philadelphia Police Department learned of the prostitution operation by surveying Backpage advertisements and conducted an undercover sting operation at the premises in June 2011. The crimes alleged in these Indictments will have a devastating and long-lasting impact on these minor victims, said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. The Indictment alleges that Felts ran a prostitution ring that recruited and enticed young girls, including one who was only fifteen years old, to engage in commercial sex acts; harbored the victims at various residences for that purpose; transported and provided the victims to males who purchased the commercial sex acts; and collected a portion of the proceeds. Its even more difficult to ascertain who are being forced or coerced into the trade. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? The crimes Smith is accused of committing are some of the most devastating to victims that our office prosecutes, said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. Enons A Day In The Life Conference Uses The Victims Voice To Talk About Human Trafficking, Enon Tabernacle holds human trafficking walk/run Oct. 3, Biden declares Kyiv stands in surprise visit to Ukraine, Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness, Former Philadelphia Eagle, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTE, Queen Latifah will host the 2023 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25 in Pasadena CA. The toll-free hotline is available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. They provide direct care to juvenile victims of trafficking experiencing homelessness. You can also TEXT HELP to BeFree (233733). Justice At Work Nationalities Service Center provides intensive case management services to support with basic needs, safety planning, acquiring public benefits, and other referrals for physical and mental health providers. So, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun is beginning a series about human trafficking. Address: Nationalities Service Center 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 Secure .gov websites use HTTPS WebYoung women and girls are the most at-risk of trafficking, although boys are also trafficked and are less likely to ask for help. The Salvation Armys New Day to Stop Trafficking Program It may cause some to realize what some in their own circle have been hiding from them, often suffering in silence or shame. Eight Croatian nationals charged with attempting to traffic children, outside the magistrates court in Ndola, Zambia, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. According to public filings, Ossai trafficked one minor, took her to a lingerie store where he picked out lingerie for her, posted an advertisement of her on a website used to advertise sexual services for a fee, and harbored her in a hotel room in Lester, PA. As charged, Ossai drove the minor victim to a housing project in Philadelphia for her to engage in a commercial sex act, and he attempted to have sex with her himself. Enoch Smith, 36, a/k/a Drees, a/k/a Idris, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted today of all charges including sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online to tips.fbi.gov. 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